VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Governor Carney Signs into Law Substantial Gun Safety Bill Package, Following Advocacy from Delaware Moms Demand Action

The Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement applauding Governor John Carney signing into law a comprehensive package of gun safety bills. The package includes legislation to prohibit assault weapons, regulate high capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, raise the minimum age requirement to purchase or possess a firearm from 18 to 21, prohibit machine gun converter devices, and hold the gun industry accountable for their role in perpetuating Delaware’s gun violence crisis. Moms Demand Action volunteers drove hundreds of calls and emails to lawmakers in support for the package.

“One thing is clear: Delaware has been made safer today with the signing of these bills,” said Mara Gorman, a volunteer with the Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our leaders in Delaware are heeding the call to act on our gun violence crisis.  This public safety package will keep guns out of the hands of individuals who shouldn’t have them, prohibit devices that make guns more deadly, and bring accountability to an industry that has helped prop up this gun violence crisis. We thank Governor Carney for taking action and signing these bills.

“This is a crucial moment for the gun violence prevention movement, and Delaware has met it with meaningful action,” said Monisha Henley, Senior Director of State Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety. “I grew up in Wilmington. I saw first hand the impact of this crisis on families and neighbors — and I know these bills will save lives, and ease the fear that my community experiences. Governor Carney, as one of those Wilmington neighbors, knows this too. I thank him for signing this important package, displaying his leadership and commitment to tackling this issue head-on.”

This afternoon’s bill signing follows major grassroots advocacy across the country in the wake of  the tragedies in Buffalo, Uvalde, and across the country. Late last week, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a historic gun safety, mental health, and school safety bill – the first major federal gun safety law to pass Congress in nearly 26 years. 

In an average year in Delaware, 111 people die by guns and 279 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Delaware $713.7 million each year, of which $36.3 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Delaware is available here.